Holding Back the Years
by Lorrean
Summary: It's raining, and that's the first clue that he's not safe and snug in his bed at Mystery Shack. Years in the future, Bill Cipher comes back for Dipper Pines.


**A/N: I'm back! Took a while to come up with this...anyway, first story of the year!**

 **The apocalypse never happened because Bill decided to torment little Pine Tree for a few more years. The show is ending soon, too bad for that.**

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 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gravity Falls.**

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It's raining, and that's the first clue that he's not safe and snug in his bed at Mystery Shack. The second clue is that he's tied to a utility post and everything really fucking hurts.

Dipper makes these observations and then passes out again.

He dreams of red-headed girls and his early days at the mystery shack, but when he comes to, he's alone with Bill Cipher and the moon. Either Bill's moving closer or the moon is retreating. If the latter, Dipper sympathizes. In fact, he wishes he could follow suit, but there's half a decade of history keeping him from doing so, to say nothing of enchanted handcuffs.

There are a million things Bill could do in this situation, too many to calculate the probabilities. Dipper tries anyway, and is still trying when a small hand touches his cheek.

"Beautiful night," Bill says with a wistfulness that sounds almost real, and the moon's gone behind his shadow. A crazy part of him wants to nod. He doesn't, and Bill nods for him. "It's good to see you again, Dipper Pines."

"What do you want?" He tries to ignore the fact that Bill's fingertips are tracing along his shoulder blade.

"You know what I want."

His face flushes. There's absolutely nothing he can say at this point that won't be playing into Bill's hands.

Then Bill's running a fingertip over the curve of his temples, and Dipper loses his train of thought completely. He screws his eyes shut and braces himself for the end of the universe.

It's almost a full minute before he realizes that Bill's fingers are digging painfully into his flesh It takes even longer for it to hit him that Bill is actually _hesitating_. The fabric of space-time must be tearing, because an eternity later, Bill relaxes his grip. He strokes Dipper's rain-drenched hair instead, curling a long lock around his finger, and changes the subject.

"A lot of you has grown," says Bill with a warm chuckle. That gets a growl, and Dipper is tempted to say otherwise, but goes against 's taken off his gauntlet. Dipper can't quite fathom how or when, and doesn't particularly care. There's a more pressing question on his mind.

"Where have you been?" A question he really hadn't intended to actually ask. He bites his lip and wonders why he can't seem to control anything, even his own voice.

"I apologize for my extended absence." It's so hard to tell when Bill's being sincere and when he's mocking. Bill strokes his stubble with one thumb absently, almost contemplatively, and says no more.

"What did you come back for?" Dipper presses stubbornly. "Why now?"

"You think too much of the past, kid. It's the future now." In other words, wouldn't you like to know. "I had some…unfinished business."

And Dipper doesn't ask. Doesn't need to, with Bill's lone eye boring over him and covering Dipper's eyes with the other hand, moving so fluidly that Dipper doesn't even hear his form transfiguring before Bill kisses him, teeth grazing his lower lip, his nose filled with the scent that shouldn't be familiar, but somehow is.

Several lifetimes later, Bill draws back, and Dipper can see again. He isn't sure why it surprises him that Bill's in his demon physique, as though nothing's happened, and looks the same as ever.

"Your sister will be worrying about you." The non sequitur hits him like a gut-punch as Bill strokes his mouth. "I wonder how you'll explain this." He sounds like he might be smiling- Dipper suddenly feels like he has x-ray vision.

Bill reaches behind him and puts something in his hand. A key.

"For these," Bill explains, tapping the handcuffs. Dipper's hand closes protectively over it, as though Bill might change his mind and snatch it away again.

For a moment there is silence but for the rain. Dipper wonders what's going to happen next. Bill could stay in Gravity Falls and torment him for years. Or he could leave again and torment him just as well that way.

Knowing Bill, neither would surprise him.

Dipper almost asks. Almost.

But that's not how it works, so he sets to work on the handcuffs, knowing without looking that Bill's gone.

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 **A/N: Reviews are greatly appreciated.**


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